Political Leadership: Heather MacDonald

[February 5, 2018] Just a reminder that this section on political leadership is part of an on-going series in which I focus on new and controversial ideas. Today, my focus is on Heather MacDonald, Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and contributing editor of City Journal. She, like so many others on this site, is provocative in her ideas; usually conservative but always laser-focused on important issues of the day.

MacDonald takes sharp aim at the erosion of the authority of law which, she claims, doing so unnecessarily puts lives at risk. While much of her investigative work is on police and the rule of law (see her latest book, The War on Cops, 2016), she also chronicles the effects of broken immigration laws, crime prevention, racism, rape, politics, welfare, and academia.

“The most plausible explanation of the current surge in lawlessness is the intense agitation against American police departments over the past nine months.” – Heather MacDonald, The Wall Street Journal article The New Nationwide Crime Wave

One can judge controversy by the amount of push back it receives in the media and from various advocacy groups. MacDonald’s argument do illicit strong reactions whenever she writes about any topic. One of her central themes is that we should all learn to ask “quality questions” and not take things for granted which leads to blaming the innocent.

She asks these questions and by doing so, educates us on the “how” to be better at what we do. MacDonald is particularly critical of the mainstream media for their errors of commission and omission, as well as their attacks on fundamental institutions like the family, religion, the military, and first responders.

Truth does matter and Heather MacDonald is on top of it. She attacks the lies that circulate like a bad rumor. She is a patriot who believes deeply in America and its institutions but with a firm grasp of facts she criticizes them whenever they fail their mission.